RUSHDEN LAKES RECRUITMENT: Find out more at jobs fair next week

Stephanie Weaver

A recruitment programme to help unemployed people get back into work at Rushden Lakes has been launched.

The free service, Recruit Rushden Lakes, is hoping to help people from the area find work at the new multi-million pound retail and leisure development.

The lakeside area

Recruit Rushden Lakes is a free recruitment and training programme, operating in partnership with Jobcentre Plus.

It will provide training and support to help local unemployed people gain employment.

A jobs and skills fair is being held at the Pemberton Centre in Rushden from 10am to 4pm on Friday, May 26.

The free event will bring employers, job-seekers and employment support services together under one roof.

One of the restaurant units

People from the area are being encouraged to attend and register their interest, meet prospective employers in person, and access skills workshops or advice sessions hosted by Jobcentre Plus.

The Recruit Rushden Lakes workplace coordinator will provide ongoing support for candidates, including workshops, training programmes and one-to-one workplace mentoring.

They will also work with employers and agencies to match local jobseekers to vacancies, and deliver skilled, job-ready candidates.

Faheem Qureshi, head of employment generation at The Crown Estate, said: “We want Rushden Lakes to be a brilliant place for people to shop, spend time and to work.

“With our recruitment programme we are implementing a proven model, one that we has been successful in London and other locations around the UK in helping unemployed people get back into work.

“There is huge support for Rushden Lakes and excitement about the opportunities for the area, our aim is to further enhance the positive impact Rushden Lakes has with the local community and on the local economy.”

The Crown Estate, the owner of Rushden Lakes, is funding the Recruit Rushden Lakes launch.

The Crown Estate launched its first recruitment programme in 2009, with Recruit London, to help unemployed Londoners get jobs with employers in the West End.

Over the past eight years, Recruit London has helped more than 1,500 people get into work in London.

The programme has since been successfully established in three further locations around the country – Leicester, Worcester and Exeter – with more programmes to follow later this year.

To find out more about the shops and restaurants due to open at Rushden Lakes, click here